ZiS-3 Field Gun
}} The ZiS-3 also designated the M1942 Field Gun was a divisional gun in service with the Soviet Red Army during World War II. It is notable for being the most produced artillery piece used during the war. Description The ZiS-3 could fire 76.2 mm shells at a maximum distance of 13.21 kilometers. Its wide variety of ammunition, which generally weighed about 6.1 kilograms per round, was more than suitable for engaging different armored or unarmored targets. Each shell fired achieved a muzzle velocity of about 680 meters per second.Bishop, Chris. The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II. Metro Books (2014), Page 159 With a traverse of 54˚ and elevation range of -5˚ to +37˚, the ZiS-3 was able to engage targets in a fairly decent area, though it should be noted that while the ZiS-3's elevation range was superior to many contemporary anti-tank guns such as the PaK 40, its traverse was slightly lacking. The weapon had a total weight of around 1,120 kilograms and overall length of 3.2 meters. The barrel of the ZiS-3 was taken from the M1939 Divisional Gun and combined with the lightweight carriage from the ZiS-2 Anti-Tank Gun for optimal mobility. Utilizing components from existing artillery pieces and by extension existing factories, the ZiS-3 was able to be produced quite cheaply, cheaper in fact than one of the guns it used components from. Though the barrel of the ZiS-3 was taken from the M1939 gun, it did use one feature in particular that its predecessor did not, a muzzle brake, which in the case of the ZiS-3, allowed the gun to use such a powerful round without damaging the light carriage each time the weapon fired. With a well-trained crew of seven, the average ZiS-3 could fire about twenty-five rounds per minute, multiplied by four guns per battery. In combat, the ZiS-3 was effective against all but the heaviest German armor in which case fire had to be directed more towards small, critical weak spots in order to destroy them. The gun was reliable, resisted field wear well, and was easy to maintainhttp://www.militaryfactory.com/armor/detail-page-2.asp?armor_id=373. History Development Prior to Operation Barbarossa, the Soviets had developed the M1939 Divisional Gun to improve upon previous gun designs by being smaller and less bulky, improving combat effectiveness. The gun was expensive, though served the Red Army well. However, in the weeks immediately following Operation Barbarossa, huge stocks of guns, ammunition, and factories had been seized, leaving the Red Army lacking the armament it needed to fight off the invasion. While the M1939's barrel production facilities had not been captured, its carriage production had, meaning that the numerous M1939 barrels being produced would need to be fitted onto a new carriage so that production could continue. The result of this dilemma was the ZiS-3, with production commencing as soon as was possible. The initial prototype was completed in June, 1941 with field testing beginning in July. Full production was started the next year in 1942. Combat Service From that point onwards, the ZiS-3 continued to be used throughout the Eastern Front, with a total of 103,000 examples being produced by the war's end. Aside from being used as an artillery piece, the ZiS-3 was also mounted on the SU-76 assault gun. To this day, ZiS-3s can still be found around the world, occasionally in use. References Category:Soviet Artillery Category:Artillery Category:Field Guns Category:Divisional Guns Category:ZiS-3 Divisional Gun (76 mm)